​​​​ELGIN – On a 200-acre site, New Republic Studios has taken over the former Spiderwood Studios at 140 Utley Rd.

The $170 million project is expanding to become a multi-platform creative campus serving the film, television, music, commercial, and new media industries.

The plan includes luring production companies to Central Texas with lower costs and state-of-the-art facilities: a virtual reality and augmented reality operation, workshops, a wood mill, live-work bungalows, and four purpose-built sound stages.

The campus also boasts 162 acres of backlot for outdoor scenes.

New Republic is expecting to employ between 60–70 in 2023, with 300 jobs generated by the work done onsite.​​​​